Valentine's day

"This sucks," Alice complained loudly over the phone in the morning.

It was the morning of Valentine's day. Edward had already left, early, early in the morning. In fact, it was before dawn. Someone was having a sunrise wedding.

I would have rather had a midnight wedding myself, but that was just me. He then had another wedding at ten, one at two in the afternoon, another at five, and then to top it all off, he was working at a restaurant starting from seven until ten. He had a full day.

And so did Jasper.

Of course, a baker was going to be busy on Valentine's day. Between guys trying to pick up chocolate for their women and kid's Valentine's party, he had his hands full. Alice knew this. She even understood it.

Didn't mean she had to like it. At all.

"I know, sweetie. It does suck," I sighed, looking at something on my computer. "But what can we do about it?"

"Bitch. Moan. Complain. Get drunk," she started listing off things, and I rolled my eyes before scoffing. "What? Do you have a better idea?"

"I was going to go to the gym."

"How boring."

"Boring? Probably. Practical? Yes. A good way to blow off some steam? For sure." I smiled slightly. Lord knows I needed to blow off some steam just thinking about the fun surprise Edward had in store. It made me tingle all over.

"Maybe you have a point," Alice agreed. "What else did you have planned?"

"Not a clue. I'm open to suggestions."

"Gym. Shower. Lunch? Maybe we could go check up on Jasper after. I know you haven't seen the bakery yet."

"Yeah, I haven't," I sighed. Everyone was so busy with so many things.

"What do you think?"

"I don't think that's going to fill up a whole day though," I told her truthfully. "How about a movie sometime in there? What time does Jasper close up shop?"

"Today? Eight. I guess that would work. Two-hour workout. Late leisurely lunch. Movie. And then we could go bug Jasper."

"Sounds good to me. Meet you at the gym in thirty?"

"Yup. You're a lifesaver."

"An orange one," I smiled, using her own joke. "I think I'm tangy."

"No. You're cherry," Alice giggled. "Alright. I'll see you then."

I ran beside Alice on the treadmill, keeping a leisurely pace as we talked. Of course, we were talking about her wedding. It was all we were talking about.

"So, I've got the dress down to three options. I'm going to need your opinion."

"Didn't your mom go with you last time you went looking?" I asked.

"Yes. And she has horrible tastes. You do not. So, I have another fitting next Thursday. By the way, I have five possible dresses for you. I want to see them on you and figure out which one I like best."

"They aren't horrible, are they?" I cringed slightly.

"No," Alice snorted delicately. "No one is going to look ugly at my wedding. I'm going to make sure of it. I just have to figure out the style really. I've figured out the color."

She finally decided on a deep emerald green and a royal purple as her wedding colors. I was so grateful. At least it wasn't pink, coral, or an ugly orange of some kind.

"Oh? What about shoes?" I asked, trying to be interested in the subject. But honestly, my mind was on my boyfriend who should have been with me but was instead entertaining other people on their romantic days. I was more than a little jealous of them.

"I've got it down to five as well. It depends on the dress. You'll see. It'll be great."

I just nodded my head, my eyes and mind somewhere in space.

"You know, it sucks for me too. At least Edward will be able to get away with not working next year," Alice said, interrupting my thoughts. I frowned and nodded.

"Today is a major money maker for him. I wouldn't take that away from him."

"He'd give it up for you," she told me.

"I know," I smiled. "It's just our first one and-"

"It's the first of many."

"I certainly hope so."

"Girl, I'm psychic. I've known since the very beginning that you two were perfect for each other. I wouldn't have shoved you into him if he hadn't been," Alice said, rolling her eyes at me playfully as she gave me an evil smirk.

"The only reason you pushed me to Edward was that you were high."

"Yes, high. As in on a higher plane of awesomeness. I knew," she replied, tapping her forehead. It was my turn to roll my eyes, and she burst into laughter, actually having to stop her machine. "Hey, you two are perfect together. I didn't get that part wrong," she said after she finished her laughing fit.

I laughed as well, nodding my head. "Yeah, okay. We may be, but you so don't get the credit for it."

She stuck her tongue out at me and hopped back onto her machine gracefully.

We went from exercising to burgers. I wasn't sure how it happened, but all I knew was that it was a great idea.

Alice and I ordered a basket of onion rings and French fries to share, along with our burgers and milkshakes.

I had been maintaining my weight mostly, maybe losing a pound here or there, but I had a feeling it wasn't going to happen this week. Actually, I was sure of it.

I didn't care one bit.

"Oh, my god. These should be illegal," I moaned through a bite of an onion ring. They were probably the best I had ever had. I was going to end up eating the entire basket by myself if Alice wasn't careful.

"Mmmm," Alice agreed as she sipped her milkshake. "Why do I have a feeling we are substituting food for love?"

"Why do I feel like that's okay?" I snickered.

Just then my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a message from my mother.

"I hope you and Edward have a lovely Valentine's day. Currently looking at the Eiffel tower with Phil. Marked another thing off my list! Love you!"

I typed back quickly."Currently eating the most fantastic onion rings with my best friend. Hope you're having a great time in Paris. Love you too. We'll talk again soon."

"Everything okay with Edward?"

I rolled my eyes, and Alice leaned over to see what I was doing. "What are you doing?"

"Texting with my mother. She's being nosy now," I said with a sigh.

"We're great," I typed. "He's just working. We have plans for tonight. Talk to you later."

I placed my phone down and took a long pull from my milkshake. It was a delicious black and white with whipped cream on the very top. I had just popped the cherry into my mouth when my phone buzzed yet again. I huffed loudly in annoyance, the stem hanging out of my mouth. Alice giggled at the sight, putting a fry into her mouth to hide her smile.

But this message wasn't from my mother. It was from Edward.

"When you came, you were like red wine and honey, and the taste of you burnt my mouth with its sweetness."

"That's beautiful," I typed back with a small smile and a soft sigh.

"Not your mother, I take it?" Alice asked ruefully. I just shook my head, my smile growing wider.

"The couple that just got married had it in their vows. I instantly thought of you. It seemed to be fitting."

"It is. Very much so."

I should have felt bad for ignoring Alice, but I didn't. She would have done the same thing if she could have.

"Mm, here's another one I quite liked...The hours I spend with you I look upon as sort of a perfumed garden, a dim twilight, and a fountain signing to it...you and you alone make me feel that I am alive...Other men, it is said, have seen angels, but I have seen thee and thou art enough."

"Was that said at the wedding too?" I asked with a grin. "It's a lot to remember."

"No," he answered back quickly. "This was something I remembered the very first night we spent really together from my readings from school."

I instantly flushed. "I love you," I typed back lamely. I didn't know what else to say besides that, and "I miss you."

"I love you too, my darling. I just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you. I'll see you tonight."

"Tonight cannot come soon enough," I told him truthfully.

I let out a heavy sigh as I put my phone back in my pocket. I was feeling more lonely than ever at the moment, despite being with my best friend.

"Rough?" She asked.

"Very."

"Let's go watch an action movie with lots of hot guys in it. Maybe that'll make things easier," she teased.

"Sounds great to me."

Thankfully at that moment our burgers arrived, and we continued to substitute love with food. It seemed to be working pretty well for us.

"That was, by far, the lamest movie I have ever seen!" I complained, nibbling on my popcorn as we stomped back to my car. I was driving, surprisingly. It was rather unusual.

"That one guy, um whatever his name was, you know the hot tanned one with the black hair? Yeah, I'd have sex with him," Alice said thoughtfully. "The best thing about that movie was that he kept losing his shirt."

"Agreed," I laughed. "I can't believe they paid him like five million dollars to be in that awful movie. At least he gets paid well."

"Hell, I'll take off my shirt and act poorly for five million," Alice added in, making me snort.

"I think Jasper might mind you doing that," I said. I instantly regretted it when she frowned deeply, her eyes going sad. "You miss him, don't you?"

"I know it's silly. I really do. We spend a lot of time together. But-"

"But it doesn't matter the amount of time you spend with a person. When you're in love, you can't get enough of them," I answered for her. "I know, girl. I do. How about this," I said, looking down at my watch. "It's seven. Why don't we head over to the bakery now and I'll pick up a cake, and you'll get to see your man."

"Sounds wonderful to me," she sighed, almost in relief.

As soon as Jasper saw us walking through the door, his bright blue eyes grew wide with happiness. He was dirty, covered in frosting and flour, but that didn't seem to stop Alice from throwing herself into his arms.

"Oh, baby. I have missed you all day," he muttered into her spiky black hair. "What do I owe this honor?"

"I want some snackage and Alice missed you," I smiled. He chuckled and opened up one of his arms up to me. I came to him, returning the one-sided hug he was giving. "God, you smell like donuts. How do you take it?" I asked Alice.

Alice shoved her face in his chest. "Isn't it awesome? I love it," she muttered.

I shoved my face on the other side and took in a big whiff. Jasper literally giggled, like a schoolgirl, and his arms tightened around us. "What the hell are you two doing?"

"Smelling you."

"Jasper, damn, Dude, seriously. You've got to be the luckiest man on the face of this planet!" Someone called from behind us. I blushed and pulled away, but Alice held onto her husband more tightly. "Why hello there," a short dark skin man said. Man, well not really. Closer to a boy. But he was adorable. "Who are you?"

"Oh, this is my friend, Bella! Remember, I was telling you about her," Jasper said from Alice's tight grasp.

"Oh! Right, right. Edward's girlfriend. Hello there," the boy said, coming around the counter while wiping his hands off on his apron. "I'm Seth. Nice to meet you."

"Seth is my manager. He came with me all the way from Cali," Jasper explained. "He's the best in the business."

"Shut up," Seth said bashfully. "So, can I help you guys with anything?"

"Um, Alice, I was actually wondering if you could come to look at something in the office with me," Jasper said quietly."It'll just take a minute." They left us without another word.

"They're totally going to have a quickie," I muttered to myself. Seth laughed out loud.

"Wouldn't be the first. Probably won't be the last."

"Ever walk in on them?" I asked with a smirk.

"A number of times," he laughed again. "But I was younger then and didn't knock. I've learned from my mistakes."

"I walked in on them a few times in high school," I shook my head then laughed. "Well, can't blame them for having a good time."

"Yes, I can," he snorted. "They're having a good time while I have to work. Speaking of which, can I help you with something?"

"Um, yeah. I need something for Edward and me to have tonight. Something sweet."

"Well, I just made these tarts," he said, pulling something out with bright red glossy filling topped with whipped cream. "It's got a red fruit filling... cherries, strawberries, and raspberries. A little sweet, a little tangy. Goes good with champagne."

"Sold," I said, beginning to take my wallet out of my purse. Seth waved me off.

"You're a friend of Jasper's. He'd have my ass if I charged you. Enjoy."

"Are you sure?" I asked. Just then Jasper popped his head out. He cleared his throat, smiling shyly.

"Girl, get whatever you want. Your money's no good here. Um, I've got Alice if you want to head out. We're about to close the doors anyway... So yeah, we'll see you later."

His head disappeared around the corner, and I heard the door shut and latch. "So, not a quickie then?" I asked Seth with a laugh. He snorted, rubbing his forehead as his dark cheeks stained with a blush.

"I guess not. I was starting to close up anyway."

"Um, well. Yeah. I should get out of your hair then," I said awkwardly. "Thanks for the tart."

"Sure thing. Enjoy. Tell Edward I said hi and it was nice to meet you, Bella," he said, shaking my hand quickly again. I smiled in return, telling him the same.

The drive home I could think of nothing but getting to be with Edward. I had missed him so much during the day. We hadn't had much time together since we got back from London and it was killing me. I really needed a few days alone with him.

One more day and I would have him all to myself... I hoped anyway.

When I got home, I put on some smooth music to listen to while I cooked a meal for Edward. I knew he wouldn't be in until late, but I didn't care. I had the time, and I was going to use it.

I decided to try to make something fancy for my new dish a week thing. It was a creamy potato soup that was supposed to only get better the longer it simmered. I followed the recipe to the letter, and it was put on the stove to wait for him.

It only took an hour.

After that, I decided to get a quick shower. I did my hair, put on some lip gloss and a comfortable blue dress. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was still cute.

When I finally couldn't primp myself anymore, I decided to light some candles and set the table. I put the tart in the middle, along with some French bread I had to eat with the soup. I had just arranged the last napkin right when Edward opened the door.

He looked so tired. And frustrated. There were dark purple circles around his eyes, and I could tell by the way he was holding his hands that they hurt. It was the first time that I had really seen his work take a toll on him.

"Hey," I said quietly, walking over to him and wrapping him up in my arms. Edward sighed heavily, bringing his arms around my waist as he melted into my body. His head rested against my shoulder as he took in several deep breaths. "Are you okay?"

"It's been a long day," he said quietly, leaning in to kiss my neck. "Fuck."

"How can I make it better?" I asked into his hair.

"Can we go sit and just hold each other?"

I took his hand and led him over to the couch. I let him sit first, and I slid into his lap, my arms going around his neck again. His arms went around my waist as he once again put his head on my shoulder.

"What's happened that has you so down?"

He swallowed heavily. "Well, I'm not used to working so much in one day, for one. Then at one of the weddings, I don't even remember which anymore because they've just faded into each other, someone threw up on me. I had to go home and change. And when I got home, there was a notice on my door that they're not renewing my lease."

"Why?" I asked in shock.

"They're renovating or something. I don't know. I just know I have just a couple of months to figure out what to do about that," he said, leaning his head back against the couch. "You know what? Can we not talk about this right now? I don't want to think about it anymore."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Tell me about your day," he said as he ran his fingers down my back. They sent chills up my spine. They felt so good. And I was sure he had no idea he was doing it.

"I went to the gym. I went to eat. Went to a movie." I shrugged. "Then I dropped off Alice at the bakery. By the way, Seth says hi."

A smile moved across his lips. "Oh, you met Seth?"

"Yeah. He seems like a nice guy."

"Mm, he is. He was like seventeen when I met him. I can't believe he's married now. I can't believe he moved with Jasper out here either." Edward shook his head like he was clearing a thought from his head. He brought his fingers up to my cheek. "Is that all you did today?"

"Well, I pined away from my wonderful boyfriend," I said in a teasing voice, leaning forward to kiss his lips. He smiled against them, his fingers dancing over the back of my neck. "And I fixed him a nice hot meal."

"Oh, is that what I smell?" He said, kissing my upper lip before kissing the lower. "Smells good."

"It's a nice thick potato soup. It's done too. So, why don't you go wash up, and I'll get it ready for you?"

"You are so damn good to me," he muttered, leaning down to kiss my neck. He hummed quietly in pleasure. "So good."

I slipped off his lap with a wicked smile. "Go on and wash up."

"I'd rather do this," he answered while his eyes swept up and down my body.

"I know you would," I said, leaning down to kiss him just once. "But food first."

I poured some soup into a bowl for him and covered it with cheese and some bacon. Okay, so it wasn't exactly healthy, but it sure did look good. It was probably healthier than getting it out of the can. At least, that's what I was telling myself.

After I put the bowls on the table, I grabbed Edward some of his favorite beer from the fridge, and I poured myself a small glass of wine.

"God, this looks so good. Thank you, love," he said, coming to hug me before I sat down. We stood there for a long moment in each other's arms, just enjoying the comfort.

"You're welcome. It's the least I could do. Besides, don't thank me yet. You don't know if this is edible yet."

But, apparently, it was because he had two bowls of the stuff. After our soup, I opened a bottle of champagne and we shared a piece of tart. It was amazing.

It was just about one in the morning when we crawled into bed together with a fresh glass of champagne in our pajamas.

"One more day," Edward muttered to himself as he took a long sip of golden liquid. "So, I have to work all day tomorrow. I have to do something in the morning on Monday. Are you going to the gym that day?"

"Alice and I have plans to workout at nine until ten thirty, as usual. What time do you want to meet up? Around noon?"

"Yeah, I'll be here to pick you up," he said, nodding his head thoughtfully.

"Are you still not going to give me any hints?" I asked, running my fingers through his hair. I was hoping the liquor would loosen his lips, but I was having no such luck.

"No, ma'am," he chuckled, finishing off his champagne and setting the flute to the side. "It's a surprise."

And then he yawned, loudly. Poor thing. I finished off my drink and set it to the side as well before sliding into place beside him. "Tired?"

"Yes," he said quietly, his face a deep hot blazing red. "I really wanted to make love to you tonight but..."

"Edward, it's okay," I said, running my fingers over his jaw. "I just like being with you."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," I said, lightly kissing his cheek.

"I love you," he muttered quietly into my hair. Less than ten seconds later, he began to snore.

I draped an arm over his waist, resting my head on his chest. "I love you, too," I whispered, just contented to be with him.

If you're enjoying this story still, let me know! The motivation helps so much!

Thanks for reading!